Crown of Thorns
by The Demon Prosecutor
Summary: I finally pulled the knife from its fleshy sheathe. "If you'd only stayed quiet, I'd have just shot you, you know," I whispered in his ear "One painless bullet."
1. Chapter 1

**CROWN OF THORNS**

 **A CODE GEASS FANFICTION**

 **BY**

 **GRIMOIREOFSOUL**

 **AND**

 **THE DEMON PROSECUTOR**

* * *

 _ACT 1: Absolute Obedience_

* * *

Glass and rubble littered the scene of the crash, and I made sure to tread carefully to avoid producing a sound. Eventually, I found myself next to the driver, who was slumped over the wheel with blood leaking from his forehead. What a pathetic sight. After taking an extra moment to smile and admire the sight, I turned and cautiously stepped to the back of the ruined truck. The back of the vehicle was mostly intact, except for the doors, which had been blown apart by the force of the crash. Before I could enter, however, the sound of several rapid footsteps made me turn on my heel. I wasn't quick enough to escape the powerful kick which forced me to my back, unfortunately. "Stay down, terrorist" my assailant spat at me. How I loathe being in a submissive position. It reminded me of my father and how he trampled everything I held dearly, all with either an uncaring glance or a smirk of satisfaction. Britannia was a country which liked forcing people into a submissive position, and I suppose it is only natural their soldiers were like that as well. Without saying a word, I returned a kick of my own from the ground, which pushed the man several steps back, and got back to my feet, all in one motion. Before the soldier could respond, however, I quickly produced a pistol. It was a courtesy of my ever-growing paranoia. An exiled prince such as myself could not hope to be safe at all times of the day. After all, I had opposed the Emperor once.

"Put your hands up and back away," I said coldly. The soldier growled, but hesitantly complied. I noted with amusement that he did not have a weapon of his own. I could hardly restrain myself from snorting. It was just like Britannia not to arm its soldiers properly.

"Damned Britannian soldiers," I sneered "The mutts of a corrupt nation."

"Why… why are you doing this? You preach peace, yet you do nothing but endanger more lives!," the soldier exclaimed from behind his helmet.

This was going to go nowhere. He was just another Britannian boy who would meander through his hopefully short life, believing all of the lies he was fed. Ha, if only I had tools like him. One's naiveté had always been my favorite thing to manipulate.

"Oh, and you would lecture me on peace? Britannia, the country which killed millions, Britannia, the country which stripped the names and rights of those it left alive, Britannia, the country which would take everything from everyone would lecture me on peace? Let me show you Britannian diplomacy then," I growled as I cocked the pistol. This one was a persistent little one, I admit. If I only could brainwash people like Britannia did and turn them into my little lapdogs. Oh the possibilities… I shook my head at the thought.

Back to the matter at hand, this isn't quite how I imagined my first murder. I knew my victim would be Britannian, but never an unarmed soldier who could only attack me with his words. It was not a challenge at all, to my eternal displeasure. Oh well… I sighed, there'd be plenty of other challenges, I'm sure of that.

"Lelouch?," said the soldier suddenly.

Embarrassingly, I lost my usually indomitable composure and my hand quivered slightly. It would seem even seven years of practice at controlling emotion meant nothing in a situation like this. "How do you know that name?," I asked the soldier slowly, suspicious. There were a lot of Lelouches in the Empire, as commoners tend to name their children after the Royals in the hope of gaining favor.

"How could I not remember that name?" the soldier replied warmly. He then removed his helmet. If I had lost my composure a moment ago, I now lost my sanity.

"Su-Suzaku?!," my mouth spewed, finally losing all control. It was a shame how a familiar face could break the mask of expertly schooled indifference.

"I thought you died!," he exclaimed, sinking to his knees.

"I could say the same to you. Of course, I'm overjoyed to see you alive, but why the hell are you in that uniform?," I said, not even bothering to mask my contempt. I knew Suzaku was foolish, but not to this extent. This was just embarrassing. How someone like him could've survived for so long was truly beyond even me.

"Oh… I err… thought it was the right thing to do," he nervously muttered "Why are you here? The Lelouch I remember would never side with those 'freedom fighters.'"

Suzaku was cut from a stubborn, naïve cloth, so I decided to drop the soldier thing for the time being. I can't quite say I'm surprised, since he isn't exactly the sharpest katana in the dojo. Only Suzaku would think joining the Army which had slaughtered your people, stolen your lands, destroyed your trade and enslaved it would be a good thing. He was always one of the most stubbornly stupid people.

The large canister in the back of the truck, which I hadn't noticed until now, began to stir. The top of the container spun, and split apart, throwing a large cloud of smoke into the air which obscured our vision. "What's this truck supposed to be carrying?!," I exclaimed through fits of coughing. Suzaku's eyes widened to the size of cantaloupes. "Poisonous gas!" he yelled as he sprinted out of the truck. Of fucking course. I wasted no time in running after my old friend, and away from the truck. There was no way I run as far or as fast Suzaku, who may as well compete in the next Olympics. Oddly enough, I felt oddly drawn to the wreckage, despite the poisonous gas, which, I only just realized, should have killed me by then. "Suzaku! I don't think this is gas!," I yelled after him, who had already cleared the building. I stared into the smoke, but didn't dare to step any closer out of caution. The gun was warm in my hand, and I had already resolved to fill whatever stepped out of the smoke with several new holes.

My resolution was tested almost immediately, as the silhouette of a woman appeared in the smoke. My gun was pointed at the figure, and I needed only a moment to confirm who or whatever it was. "Are you going to shoot me?," the woman before me said coolly. I remained silent, not daring to lower my guard. "Go on, shoot," she said. What is this woman? No doubt, this green-haired woman is ominous at the very least. To show such a level of control over her emotions and a situation in which a gun is pointed at her unnerves me. Simultaneously, I find her fascinating. No, fascination isn't right. I feel oddly drawn to her, as if something about her were calling out to my very being. "If you're not going to shoot me, then lower your gun," the woman said blankly. I lowered my gun as requested, as it was clear that she posed no threat to me.

"Now that you've come to your senses, shall we become acquainted with one another?," she said in a monotone, yet enchanting voice.

"Who are you?" I asked, trying to seem less intrigued by her than I actually was. It was always beneficial to make your enemy believe you were less of a threat, and the woman was not an exception.

"Inquire before you give information hmm?," she chuckled, much to my ire "My name is C.C."

What does she think she's playing at? It would seem I'd underestimated her before. The woman clearly recognized what I was playing at.

"What a charming name" I remarked sarcastically, barely restraining myself from rolling my eyes.

"Ahh, so he has a personality. No, C.C. is not my name, but that is what you will know me as," she said back, smirking.

A woman with secrets, hmm? Fine, so long as she played by my rules. I'm sure I'll learn her name some other time. While I hated people with secrets, I could not say I blamed her for not wanting to reveal them to me. I knew very well how dangerous secrets can be, and decided not to pry, at least until a more appropriate opportunity arises.

By then, Suzaku in all his sweaty glory had returned, panting.

"You were in that canister?," I asked as I finally holstered my firearm.

"Where else could I have come from?," C.C. said as she strode over to us.

Just what is it about this woman that entices me so? I did not know the answer to that, but the woman seemed very aware of my reaction to her presence.

"Umm…," Suzaku started, unable to find the words.

The glare that woman gave Suzaku was enough to make even steel shiver.

Before Suzaku could ponder why C.C. had shot him a death glare, the thundering sound of a dozen footsteps shattered any previous notion we had of safety and seclusion. We whipped around to face the entrance, to be greeted by a squad of Britannian soldiers. "Kururugi, report," the supposed captain of the squad said, glaring at Suzaku. Suzaku, springing to life, jogged forward several steps and saluted his officer. "I located a civilian, and secured the disabled target vehicle, captain!," he shouted.

"And I suppose those two are the civilians?" the captain asked, pointing two condescending fingers at C.C. and I.

"Well… err…," Suzaku started "The boy is a civilian, the woman was part of the contents of the container, I believe."

The officer glared at the two for a moment, and then briefly at me. "This truck was carrying a shipment of poisonous gas, or so I've been told" he said "You're not lying to me are you, _eleven_?"

Suzaku's eyes lit up at the sound of that slur which he hated so, and he clenched his fists so hard, his palms began to turn purple. "No sir, of course not."

"Then where did these two, especially the girl, come from?" The officer asked again, clearly agitated. I'd not be surprised if he hit Suzaku as well. He certainly looked that much of a brute.

Suzaku had yet to change his story. "As I said, sir, the boy was-,"

"Save your breath boy, this one must be too imbecilic to understand even the most basic of situations," C.C. cut in seemingly out of nowhere, armed with a smirk that could ignite water.

I stared at her in shock. What the hell could she be thinking? Perhaps her internment in that capsule has warped her mind. I can understand being snarky with a single adolescent with a gun pointed at you, but only madness could propel someone to be snide to a squad of Britannian soldiers. C.C. will be the death of me.

"Wh-What did you say?!," the captain exclaimed, his emotions flared by the insult. His losing control over the situation caused those under his command to shift nervously. His gun was drawn now, and its barrel was pointed directly at C.C.'s forehead. The woman did not look even slightly worried, looking like it was a bagel pointed at her, not a weapon.

"Seems that this one has some nerve," he laughed, though I could hear the anxiety in his tone. Did he think that I could be so easily unnerved? Britannian brutes never ceased to amaze me with their stupidity.

An attempt to seem in control would always be a vain one in my presence.

"Shoot me then," C.C. said in her usual monotone, uncaring voice, like discussing the weather.

The captain scowled at her remark, and instead, turned the barrel from her head to her thigh, where the bullet found its mark. I couldn't help but wince slightly as the blood poured out of her leg just behind me. C.C. tumbled to her knee, clasping the wound, but did not cry out at the pain. It made me wonder how much experience she had in the field.

"Sir! I cannot allow-," Suzaku started before his leg was struck by a bullet as well.

"Kill the boy. If what the eleven says is true, we should bring her back. Speaking of which, put Kururugi out of his misery while you're out of it" the officer said in an authoritative tone.

The soldiers raised their rifles in unison, no doubt as they had been taught to in their training. As I stared death in the eye, nothing was louder in my mind than the screams of my mother and sister as I had heard years ago. Who'd tell my mother and I would die the same death, executed by a firing squad, defenseless and cornered. I suppose it is only fitting. Still, something in my mind shouted at me for giving up so soon, and forced me to release one last, desperate shout, voicing all my hope for a miracle.

"I refuse to die like this!" I finally shouted, the words in his mind spilling into my mouth.

"You don't have to," C.C.'s voice rang in my ears like a drum.

The world had gone eerily silent. Nothing moved. Suzaku was still on the floor, bleeding, the squad of soldiers were still in their positions, and I had yet to be killed. The only thing which seemed to had moved at all was C.C., who was now between me and my assailants.

"I can sense a desire for power within you," she said soothingly, taking careful steps my way, her would all but forgotten. What caught my attention, however, was the fact that the wound was not to be found, revealing only the soft flesh of her upper thigh.

"What is…" I started, confused at both how she could seemingly stop time at will, and the missing wound. Such power was beyond human, and interested me.

I had no words which could possibly describe what graced my eyes and ears adequately. A swirling mass of colors bathed the world in a light brighter than the sun. The colors produced a sound more euphonic than any orchestra imaginable, and a subtle warmth seemed to be emanating from C.C. The beauty of it all couldn't be of this plane of existence, which lends to the woman's otherworldly quality.

"Geass, The Power of Kings, is within your grasp, all you need now is to reach out and take it for yourself," she intoned, as if she were a priest preaching from a gospel, and I the listener.

There was no air in whatever realm I now found myself in. Gravity had become a baseless theory, and I felt myself drifting off into what I imagined eternity would be like. Except for the swirling mass of colors and sounds, the world had gone blank, and all that remained were C.C. and I. Her forehead, which had been concealed by her bangs, bore a red, glowing symbol unlike anything I had ever seen.

"This power, however, has a stipulation which must be heeded if I am to grant it to you. You will enter a binding covenant with me, and must fulfill a single wish of mine. Not only will you be graced with Geass, but you will have me as well," C.C. continued.

My decision was made within a fraction of a second.

"I accept the conditions of the contract," I said almost involuntarily. Who was I to refuse? I had little thought for that wish of hers; whatever it might be, it was something I was ready to fulfill. It was not important to me what it was, as anything was nothing in exchange for such a power she offered me.

C.C. smiled, a smile so radiant even I was aware of its inhuman beauty. She touched my cheek lightly, and voiced her approval of my decision. "Excellent. I am sure you'll find me quite a valuable combatant." she praised, and suddenly, the world around us disappeared, only to be replaced by the dark, gloomy image of the warehouse.

I glared at the soldiers who dared disrupt me so, and believe themselves mightier than my person. Laughable! They were only commoners, worthless worms desperate for their masters' approval of their inhumane actions. It was, I admit, admirable how far they were willing to go, and it was something I had to give Britannia credit for. Such loyalty was something I wanted to wake in my own subordinates.

It would seem the sheer force of my glare made the cocky officer quiver, which his subordinates had noticed and seemed to not understand how a simple schoolboy could scare their superior so much.

I smiled. Let them wonder and look into my eyes. I was willing to show them just how different they were from me. Hesitantly, they looked right into my eyes, falling into my trap.

"Obey," I uttered the simple command, and enjoyed myself as the Officer's eyes turned into lifeless orbs. His subordinates were quick to drop onto their knees and proclaim me their master.

A crazed laugh bubbled from my lips at the sight. Really, even though I'd spent years perfecting my self control, this time even that could not stop me from finally losing my cool. After years of agonizing waiting, I'd finally perfected my skills of manipulation, and no one could resist me! I could probably use it on the bastard that is my father and claim his worthless Empire for myself. Oh, how fun would it be!

I smirked at my unwitting slaves and decided to test just how powerful and useful my power truly was. I looked one of them in the eye, the skinniest one and ordered him to lift the capsule C.C. had been in, but to my displeasure, it would seem even Geass could not make him strong enough to do so. It was a useful bit of info to have, I suppose.

The next one had to punch the other in the face whenever I said "Blackjack," to help me see whether I could use codes with them. It was a success. I rewarded the soldier by ordering him to put himself out of his misery. It was another test of sorts, to see if it was really absolute as to make him take his own life.

The new blood stains on the floor confirmed my theory, as did the hole in the man's skull. For the officer, I asked whether he had any experience giving first aid, and at his negative answer, I gave him my own first aid notebook and ordered him to read as much as he could in five minutes and then help Suzaku, who, I guess, had passed out from the pain.

It would seem Geass _could_ help my slaves, but not significantly. Every new piece of information, I wrote in another notebook of mine, enjoying the silence.

"It would seem that you're already making yourself acquainted with your newfound power, my King," C.C. suddenly spoke in amusement and shook me from my reverie.

I did not have time to answer, as the wall in front of us suddenly exploded, and a huge machine of immense height filled my vision. It was a Sutherland, I recognized, one of the fifth generation knightmare frames.

* * *

 _ACT 2: The First Knight_

* * *

"What's happened here, boy?," the pilot of the Sutherland demanded, "Why are these officers kneeling in front of you as if you're royalty?"

I immediately took notice of the change of tone as she spoke the word 'royalty'. I had a striking feeling my power would not be needed to remove this foolish woman from her seat. Her sort was something I saw every day, simpleminded rats born as commoners who wanted nothing but to become Nobility, and were selfish beyond belief. None of them actually had any loyalties; they respected and bowed to the powerful ones, expecting rewards for their service, but as soon as the powerful ones cease being powerful, so does their loyalty and they turn the other page and serve someone else until they are rewarded. Such is the life of a knight born from nothing.

"Look upon my face, and you tell me the answer," I mused.

The pilot of the Sutherland, obviously irritated, started walking the mech over to me and C.C.

"You'd do well to respect the symbol of Britannian crest, boy, if I weren't so kind, I might've taken it upon myself to discipline you," the woman said.

C.C.'s grin extended, as if I had told the joke of the century.

"You are a knight of Britannia are you not?," I asked her as condescendingly as possible.

"How can you tell? I don't have any identifying markings on my Sutherland," she said in a perplexed, yet amused tone.

Britannian nobles can be exceedingly dense at times.

"During my time in the palace, I'd met hundreds of people like you. Deplorable, really, how your drive to be one of the Round overshadows your loyalty," I laughed as I produced a broach from my pocket "As you can see, I have great respect for the Britannian crest."

The pilot broke her slow gait and swiftly ran through the warehouse, sending the soldiers under my power scurrying for safety. C.C., as expected, didn't flinch, even as the mass of metal nearly crushed her beneath its feet.

"Let me see that!," the woman screeched after climbing out of her Knightmare and snatching the broach from my hand. Oddly enough, she was dark-skinned and maintained silvery hair, wrapped in a ponytail. She certainly wasn't a full-blooded Britannian.

As the broach left my hand, the thing began turning colors the moment it touched the soldier's. It went from a purple background and with lion, the insignia of the standard Britannian Royal Crest, to a black background adorned with a red lion.

"I assume you know what this signifies," I said, referring to the change of color in the most condescending tone I could possibly muster. All of the members of the Royal Family carried broaches such as that one on their person. When it touches someone's skin other than a Royal's, the broach begins to change colors as it did now.

The woman gaped at me in shock for a moment before shaking her head and kneeling at my feet.

"Your Royal Highness...," she started breathlessly.

"My name is Lelouch vi Britannia, The Exiled Prince," I said "Knight of Britannia, what is your name?"

"Villetta Nu, your majesty," she said, head still bowed.

"You may rise, Lady Nu. I won't allow someone of your stature to lower themselves in order to please me," I said, smiling at her.

As Villetta rose, I could see the look of a wolf staring at her meal. Of course, she dared not look me in the eye.

"Thank you Your Royal Highness," she said softly.

"If I may ask, why do you serve your country?," I asked, tilting her head up so that I may look into her eyes.

"I wish only to serve my country, Your Royal Highness," Villetta said softly without so much as a bat of an eye.

Well done, woman. I could tell that that was well rehearsed.

"Kissing his feet with your blatant dishonesty won't do you any good I'm afraid," C.C. cut in with a spiteful chuckle.

"And who are you to address me in such a way you insolent-," Villetta started before a wave of my hand cut her off.

"You'll have to forgive my associate, she has a bit of an edge to her," I said as I turned my head to look at C.C. Oddly enough, her bullet wound from earlier seemed to have stopped bleeding.

"But what she says is true," I pointed out "Oh, and refer to me as Lelouch."

"Yes... Lelouch. Truth be told, my only aspiration is to become a Baroness so that my family would retain my noble status," she muttered.

Of course, she was only concerned with gaining more power and titles. My being a prince should be enticing enough to gain her as an ally.

"A commendable goal," I lied "But certainly it would be a challenge for a non-Britannian."

"I suppose so," she muttered in an almost inaudible voice. Seems that I've struck a nerve.

"But, with a prince's favor, even a non-Britannian could ascend to a Knight of The Round."

As I said that to her, Villetta's eyes widened, and the first inkling of a smile emerged on her lips, though she retracted it in less than a second, realizing her mistake. At that exact moment, I knew that I had found my marionette.

"How may I serve you, Lelouch?," she asked, bowing once more. Even without this newfound power, I can twist people. After all, I am my father's son.

"Give me your knightmare," I commanded.

Villetta jumped up and looked at me, shocked. "Huh?"

"Your knightmare. I need it for a moment." I repeated with a sigh.

"Err..." she gaped stupidly, clearly surprised at my order. She was probably expecting me to ask of her to protect me and escort me out of the ghetto.

"I can't help you become at the very least a Baroness unless you comply with a few tasks of mine, of course," I said with an innocent smile.

"Of course not sir," she said with an uneasy smile "Do you know how to pilot a Sutherland?"

"I'm a quick learner," I responded as I briskly moved past her.

Oh, I should probably dispose of these soldiers since I have no purpose for them.

"As for the rest of you, you have a battle to be fighting in the ghetto. Destroy all of those who would dare oppose Britannia!," I exclaimed. Those words put a sour taste in my mouth.

Rivalz and I had heard about the attack on the radio. Apparently, my brother Clovis had mobilized the military against them. Sending those soldiers to be killed by those terrorists is the best method of killing them without arousing Villetta's suspicion.

"What should I do, Lelouch?," Villetta asked me.

I considered her question for a moment. While her piloting skills, if she had any, judging from the fact that she was only a lowly knight, could certainly prove quite the useful toy in the upcoming fight, I still did not trust this despicable woman. I'd be quite a fool to do such thing, given her lack of loyalty of any kind and thirst for only a bit of power. I had no doubts she'd betray me if given the chance, and as such, I was more than reluctant to trust her with my life and wellbeing. I believe it'd be best if I kept her as away from Shinjuku as I dared and seemed not suspicious.

Thankfully, I had just the strategy for that scenario. I shook my head regretfully, and waved her away. "I do not want an ally of mine to risk her life in such a way, Lady Nu, especially if it is not necessary.

I barely resisted the smirk that threatened to appear on my lips when I noticed her attempt to protest at my words. A most charming act, really, but for such a masterful actor like myself it was almost unworthy of notice. It was a shame she believed she could manipulate me so.

I held up a hand to stop her and put an end to that awful act of hers and stop her from wasting my time any longer. "Lady Nu, my decision is final. You are much too valuable to lose in such a way, and I do not wish to take such a risk, no matter how small it might be. However, I assure you, you'll have your chance at fighting for me." I said soothingly, and could her C.C. snigger behind me, but Villetta was too euphoric at being 'praised' by a Prince of the Realm she either did not notice or mind.

It was pitifully obvious how little she truly wanted to fight, but Nu clearly believed herself to be the master puppeteer. Good, I thought, the best kind of pawn is the one who thinks he is in charge. She was lucky she was so amusing to me, how easy she was to manipulate and willingly dance at my behest.

If she hadn't been so interesting, I would've killed her the moment she tried to manipulate me so I could spare myself the bad act, but I was feeling generous today. Playing with her hopes and thinking of crushing her dreams almost made me salivate at the thought. I could only imagine the look on her face. It was almost better than playing with Shirley.

"Your Royal Highness, I thank you for this wonderful opportunity and promise you I will fight for you when given the chance." Villetta bowed deeply with practiced deftness, and I imagined she had practiced it in front of the mirror many times in order to please Clovis. The pitiful thing was the fool was likely to fall for it. Thankfully, I was not my fool of a brother.

Having said her piece, Villetta departed from the warehouse, leaving C.C. and me alone in the silence. "Oh you will Villetta, whether you want it or not. I shall make sure you become one of my favorite toys."

* * *

 _ACT 3: The First Taste of Blood_

* * *

The first thing I noted about the Sutherland was that it was relatively easy to control, unlike my mother's old Knightmare, the Ganymede. I imagined that was the reason Britannia was so successful; by making the piloting easier, more pilots could use the Knightmares and help Britannia defeat its enemies, who were less fortunate and tech savvy, since Britannia had taken the most of the talented scientists.

The second thing was the map – I could see every part of the battlefield, including the terrorists' Glasgow. I decided using the terrorists was the best move I could use in this situation. While they were certainly untrained and untrustworthy, they were in a desperate need for help as well; I could use it to my advantage and make them mine.

After all, even a lowly terrorist could follow orders and that was all I needed of them. However, I had to cut them some slack, as the rebels were doing quite well with their outdated weapons. If anything, their cause was to be respected, as not many would willingly put their lives at risk just to save others.

That did not mean I wouldn't use them as any other meaningless meat shield. I considered it a test; if they could survive this battle, then I would contact them again. If not, there are a bunch of other groups as well, and with my Geass, even they could pass off as an army.

I smiled as I played with the broach in my hand. It was time for a bit of amusement.

With that in mind, I had contacted the terrorists and took over their little group. To my surprise, there weren't many of them, less than a dozen. A certain liability, but I'd played games with much worse odds. Not to mention Clovis was never a good chess player. The memory of those pitiful games made me smile.

There'd been some betting pools on our games if I remembered correctly. Odysseus had sworn to give up on his claim if Clovis won, Euphemia's mother had said she would swallow a gallon of vinegar and Jeremiah Gottwald, one of my mother's guards, gambled with his whole pay. The funny thing was, no one had even gambled against me, not even when I was only 5.

The rest of the battle was a slaughter.

My brother had lost over ninety percent of his troops, while on my side, I had to sacrifice one of the terrorist in order to defeat a Knightmare squad. A most regrettable slip up on my part, but the terrorist's scream made it worth all the trouble. It was strange how a dying man could be so graceful and yet honest in his fall, there truly was some beauty in tragedy that is death.

I was just preparing to order an attack on the mobile command center when a terrorist suddenly broke the radio silence. "This is P-4, reporting enemy reinforcements!"

I frowned. Now, this could be rather troublesome. While Clovis had the quantity and I the quality, it should be noted my terrorists were already tired from the relentless attacks and almost out of ammo and power. My only hope was that woman in the Glasgow, but I doubted she could go against more than a couple of enemies.

"How many of them are there?" I asked impatiently, already planning my next move.

The terrorist did not answer immediately and all I could hear was the sound of metal clashing, "O-only one!" the terrorist managed to tell me before his Knightmare exploded.

While it was to be blamed to the pilot's lack of skill, losing yet another piece to Clovis left a sour taste in my mouth, but it did give me some sufficient information. The Frame obviously had to either have a skilled pilot, or be an ace up Clovis' sleeve. Personally, I thought the latter was far more likely.

The image sent by Kallen only confirmed my theory. The frame was white, an unlikely color for a KMF, and looked nothing like a Sutherland, or even Gloucester. It seemed much more advanced, but I noticed the different hatch as well. I guessed the designer had sacrificed its ability to eject for agility, judging from the look of its lower parts. I could use it to my advantage.

I imagined Clovis was grinning in his KMF, sitting on his throne built on lies and already celebrating his victory with a cup of wine or two. I grinned at the thought of him spitting out his wine at seeing me in front of him with a gun no less.

I tapped the control panel idly, finally recognizing the situation for what it was. I sighed in regret. It would seem I'd need to lose even more pieces to Clovis. A regrettable decision that is, but necessary. I suspected the Frame was nothing short of the most advanced one in the world, if the fact that the pilot was using only slash harkens and still managed to best the terrorists, was of any indication, and that victory was only a sweet fantasy.

As I'd said before, while quality could be defeated with quantity, it should be noted the terrorist were already tired and unskilled, while both the enemy frame and pilot were way more advanced and appeared to have just joined the fight. I was afraid not even Q-1 could defeat the bastard in that old Glasgow of hers.

Well, better put those terrorist to some use. I knew this wouldn't be the last time I'd see the white frame if I were to continue with my war, and it was time to check for some of its weak points at the cost of some terrorist. Maybe I'd even get lucky and defeat the frame while I'm at it. That in mind, I turned on the radio.

"N-1, P-2, try to bait the white knightmare around the point G-9, and shoot at every part of it. All you need to worry about is making sure his attention is on you. While you're at it, try to force him to go around some buildings so N-3 can try to drop them on it. We'll see how he endures that. If even that fails, bring him to the point G-8, where N-2 and the others will be planting bombs while you're fighting it." I issued the orders quickly and sat back to enjoy the show.

The worst thing that could happen was that I'd lose a couple of terrorists, but at the same time gather valuable info on the KMF, and clear my way to Clovis. I would emerge victorious in any case, which could not be said for Clovis.

During the next couple of minutes, reports on the white knightmare kept pouring in. Apparently, the knightmare was bulletproof, was using only its slash harkens, and yet managing to defeat the superior weapons of the terrorists.

I was thinking about it, when a thought suddenly hit me. Why was I waiting for the terrorists to finish? I could take advantage of the confusion and get to Clovis without endangering myself. The terrorists were simply a form of cattle, and it was well known a wolf did not concern himself with the needs of cattle.

I could simply record their reports and use them when necessary.

I felt myself smirk at the thought of finally meeting my older brother in person after all these years. Certainly, our meeting was bound to be at least interesting.

Ignoring the terrorists' shouts, I turned my knightmare and departed from the scene.

* * *

ACT 4: Brotherly Love

* * *

Getting into the Command Center was so pathetically easy I imagined even my blind little sister could've done it the same way. I knew Clovis was a fool, but to leave himself this vulnerable was truly surprising even for him. Not that I was complaining, of course. It only served to make my plan move even more smoothly.

I contemplated whether I would play the same game as I did with Villetta with the soldier guarding the entrance but quickly dismissed the possibility. Villetta actually had some worth in her, and could be useful in the coming rebellion, while this person was likely useless as one can get, judging from his position. I'd get plenty of foot soldiers later on.

I could simply geass him into telling me about Clovis and his plans and then kill him.

I grinned. Perfect. He should be honored at having a purpose. I quickly hid the grin and replaced it with the perfect façade for this particular person. Alan Spencer was his name. Son of Duke Archibald Spencer and a compulsive gambler, spoiled to the bone and a coward. Unlike myself in every aspect, but that's what masks were for, of course. The best mask is the one that is the opposite of everything and makes the opponent so convinced he does not even consider it's a mask.

I schooled my features in a mix of fear and terror and started running towards the soldier, tripping in front of him on purpose. It was an awfully embarrassing move, but my act needed to be convincing.

"T-Thank God!" I made myself stutter, and locked my eyes with the soldier. "You're Britannian, right? You can help me get out of this mess! I'm Alan, son of Duke Spencer."

The soldier eyed me with some suspicion, but relaxed at the mention of the title. "How can I help you?"

I smirked, and the soldier's face twisted in alarm, and he was reaching for his gun, but it was too late. "For starters, you can obey."

The gun was dropped to the ground and the man saluted me quickly and at my order quickly told me Clovis' plans and the number of people inside. As there was no need to be subtle about anything, I ordered the soldier to come with me and shoot everyone in sight save for Clovis. It was not the most sophisticated of my plans, but it would serve. If anything, I could delete the camera feed later on.

I'd expected some resistance, soldiers patrolling in the corridor, but there was no one, and it was quiet as a graveyard. The only sounds came from the room Clovis was in. He was shouting at someone named Lloyd and cursing him for making him use the Lancelot, whatever that thing was. I would find out later anyway, so no use dwelling on that.

Ever the polite gentleman, I knocked gently on the surface of the golden door, and stunned silence enveloped the room. I had no doubts the generals in Clovis' room had guns on their person, so it would be a good opportunity to test the extent of the power of geass and whether it could help the soldier kill them all. In any case, I had my gun ready as well and pushed the door open.

It was over in a matter of seconds.

The geassed soldier had managed to kill them all, but at the cost of his own life. The thing that interested me was the fact that he did not stop shooting until they were dead, with as his own guts spilling on the floor, half his arm torn off, and one eye gorged out. It was pretty impressive in its own right and made me smile with strange glee.

The look on Clovis' face was priceless, and I was sure I would remember it for the duration of my life.

"Third Prince Clovis la Britannia of the Britannian Empire, son of Gabrielle la Britannia and Charles vi Britannia," the words slithered from my tongue. Clovis' shocked expression hadn't faded, and I could almost feel the fear emanating from him.

"Seventeenth in line to the Britannian Throne, former prince Lelouch vi Britannia, at your service Your Royal Highness," I continued. I greeted Clovis with a sarcastic bow once I was before him.

"L-Lelouch! How wonderful it is to see you're alive! I was certain that those animals out there had ripped you apart. What a joy! I'm sure father will be-," the terrified prince started before my raised hand cut him off.

What a pathetic excuse for royalty.

"Oh, I'm sure father will be ecstatic that his son which he threw to the dogs is alive!"

Clovis shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, I'm honestly glad to see you, brother."

Clovis never was much of an actor.

"Well, I have several questions for you, brother," I said, emphasizing the last word, if I could even call this wretch that.

"Anything for a prince of Britannia!"

I'd been waiting for this moment for ages.

"You remember my mother, yes? Marianne?" I asked.

"Of course, she was a true beauty, as I recall."

"Well, could you tell me exactly how she died?"

The worm's shifting grew more agitated. "She was assassinated, unfortunately. Though, she did manage to protect Nunna."

"Glad to see that your memory hasn't faded. Anywho, might you know who killed my mother and paralyzed Nunnally?" I said, only barely managing to contain my anger.

"I'm afraid not." Clovis said "I'd tell you if I did."

I hate lying assholes. My anger let itself out in the form of a gun being drawn, though my face kept its cool composure. "May I ask you again?"

"No! I really don't know, Lelouch!" Clovis screamed, putting his hands up in defense.

"I'm growing tired of this," I sighed as I used my Geass and Clovis grew eerily still "Answer my questions honestly."

Clovis nodded lifelessly at my command.

"Who killed my mother?" I snapped.

"I don't know."

"Do you know who may know?"

"Perhaps Schneizel el Britannia knows," the puppet said almost solemnly.

Fine.

Geass wore off moments after he finished his sentence, and he seemed to be in a daze. "I really don't know Lelouch!" he then screamed, putting his hands back up to cover his face.

"Oh, I believe you. In fact, you just told me everything I need to know," a smirk found its way upon my face.

Clovis' face twisted. "You know what, you disgust me. You and your entire line disgusts me. You rotten people, the vi Britannias have gotten what they deserved, especially your disgusting bitch of a mother!"

Has he lost his mind? Something within me snapped.

I smiled as I plunged the knife into my half-brother's neck. He put up less resistance than anyone should, as he flailed his arms about, not necessarily striking at anyone or anything. The crimson that spilled onto the knife and his clothes created a reflection of myself, and I smiled all the more. "What was that, brother? Did you say something?" I mused. Clovis couldn't respond properly, as blood poured from his mouth as opposed to words. I twisted the blade slowly, wanting to hear every crack of bone and vein. "What happened to that prized face of yours?" I laughed as Clovis' face was flushed of all color.

I finally pulled the knife from its fleshy sheathe. "If you'd only stayed quiet, I'd have just shot you, you know," I whispered in his ear "One painless bullet."

Clovis seemed only capable of croaking, which annoyed me. If only he could speak semi-clearly now, I wonder what he'd say? Still, the sight of a self-absorbed weasel such as he coated in his own blood made me cackle uncontrollably all the same.

I returned the knife to Clovis' flesh, this time, slashing and cutting at his body without any form or meter. His eyes widened with the pain, and I could only relish the moment. I pulled him down from his feet onto the ground, and continued to cut him to ribbons. The blood began to cover me as well by this point, but I didn't mind. There was a simple, inexplicable pleasure in being covered by the blood of another, especially the blood of a half-sibling.

By the time I was done, Clovis' body was almost unrecognizable, save his flowing mane and prissy face which he cherished so.

I glanced at my watch and was annoyed to find it almost black with dried blood. Clearly, my little fit lasted longer than I'd thought. Sighing, I grabbed Clovis' beloved violet scarf, which was fortunately relatively clean from the blood, and wiped away absentmindedly at the watch.

It did not matter what time it was. I'd still be able to find a perfect excuse. Nunnally and Sayoko would most likely trust me at face value, but if Milly or Shirley suspected, it was nothing a small smile sent their way could not fix.

I stood up with some difficulty and began inspecting the room. As it was his command center, Clovis was bound to have something useful in here. I began typing on the computer, but it soon requested a DNA sample from a man called Bartley Asprius. I raised my eyebrow. I could've sworn I'd seen the man before.

I looked around the room, and found the man lying face down, bullet holes marring his chest and face. I crouched down and drove my dagger into his hand, piercing the skin and bone and obtaining a single finger from the fallen General.

Wordlessly, I pressed it onto the console and downloaded all the info there was on my USB. There'd be plenty of time to look at it when I'm back in the confines of my own home.

Seeing no reason to remain in the MCC any longer, I headed out, completely forgetting about the sheer amount of blood on my person.

The sight that greeted me was unexpected. The emerald-haired woman was standing in front of me, eating a slice of pizza. She looked up when she heard the footsteps and greeted me with cheese still on the corner of her mouth. "Sorry for getting lost," she said, sarcasm clear in her tone.

I felt myself frown at the woman's antics. "You're saying you got lost, yet you're nonchalantly munching at a slice of pizza?"

She just stared at me.

"Whatever," I huffed, "Let's just get back to Ashford Academy. I have people there that are probably worried sick about me."

"You know," she drawled, "Maybe you should take a shower first and grab a change of clothes?"

I was about to retort when I looked down at my body. She was right. If anyone saw me like this, there'd be hell to pay. I was covered in blood and gore from head to toe, and probably smelled like death as well.

Still, I could not shake the self-satisfied smile off my lips. Clovis was my first victim, but nowhere near the last. Britannia did not know what it was in store for.

* * *

 **This is a collaboration fic with another author on this site, as you can see. While the theme might be a bit darker, we hope you'll enjoy it and leave a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**CROWN OF THORNS**_

 _CHAPTER 2_

 **ACT 1: THE LISTENER**

* * *

C.C. and I came upon the gates of Ashford Academy. The property was massive, sporting several dorms, staff buildings, and lecture halls. Compared to the rest of Japan, hell, even the Britannian settlement, it was a marvel to behold. Of course, the "privilege" to enroll in this private institution wasn't extended to Japanese youths. Oh well, but it was to be expected of Britannia, even the Ashfords I respected so. While Milly herself wasn't racist at all, her family couldn't afford to have their already ruined reputation be tainted any more. Of course, there was no rule that dictated non-Britannians weren't allowed to enroll, but the cost of even one semester was too much for anyone else, even some Britannians.

"This is Ashford Academy, huh?" C.C. muttered as we walked up the stairs to the expansive property, "It's as 'grand' as I figured out it would be, fitting to shelter a Prince of the Empire."

I rolled my eyes at the remark, deciding to let it slide. No use arguing with that woman. I grasped her hand and briskly walked over to the Student Council building. "H-Hey!" she exclaimed in surprise.

I pulled the woman into a small janitor's closet near the building "Listen, you should try not to be seen. Some complications may arise if they see you and I around, understood?" I whispered into her ear, careful not to be heard. I could not afford to be seen with this woman, especially by Milly or some fangirl who would let the news spread like wildfire and needlessly cause more trouble for me.

The woman seemed not to fully grasp my situation and instead laughed it off. "You know, this is an incredibly compromising situation," C.C. laughed, completely ignoring me.

I grimaced, barely resisting the urge to cover my face with my hands. Yeah, I'm sure she understands.

"Don't worry, though. I know how to play hide and seek," she amended at seeing my expression.

"This is not a game," I seethed in answer, pressing both hands at either side of her, trapping her. This woman was slowly getting on my nerves. How could she not understand just how much harm could come both my and her way? Did she really wish to be found out so badly?

Clearly unfazed by my anger, she looked up at me calmly and raised a hand. I looked at her in alarm, finding nothing in those cold brimstone eyes. I half expected her to slap me, but to my surprise, she merely rested her hand atop my head and patted it a few times patronizingly before chuckling softly at the confused expression that adorned my face in that moment. "I'm serious, Lelouch. Don't worry about me, I'd been hiding for almost half my life and that brat Clovis found me by accident."

At the mention of Clovis I felt my lips form a grin on their own, nearly splitting my face in two. I couldn't help myself, really. I've never really loved Clovis; or any other fellow Royal family member for that matter. Only Nunnally and Euphemia had that honor. Killing him was such a pleasurable experience, unlike anything I've ever felt. I felt shivers running down my spine at the memory. "I take it you're pleased that I killed him?"

Her lips curved upwards. "Very much so," she said in the deepest amount of contempt possible.

Just in that moment, I could've sworn I'd heard something outside the closet resembling a stifled gasp. I swore under my breath, and judging by the look on C.C.'s face, she heard it too, but was less alarmed. I removed my hands from their place above her head, and just as I was about to exit the closet and make some excuse to whomever was listening, C.C. stopped me, grabbing my arm.

I looked at her in question at her antics, but she merely pressed something on my palm. Looking down, I realized it was a knife.

"You know what to do." she said, "It's too much of a risk to just let them walk away. Kill them now and solve the problem immediately."

I was no stranger to murder, but I was still reluctant to kill someone innocent. Clovis and those guardsmen, even those terrorists I'd sacrificed were no more than criminals, but this person was probably just a simple student returning home from long hours of study in the library. Maybe it was even someone I knew, one of my friends. I frowned and removed the knife from my palm and shoved it at C.C. "I'd rather not. I'll just geass them instead." I whispered softly, so the person, who was probably still listening, would not hear me.

C.C. merely held out the knife for me to take again. "Some people are naturally able to resist Geass. They're rare, yes - but it's a risk you cannot take."

I was still troubled, and it would seem C.C. saw it too as she wrapped her hands around my neck, causing me to stiffen in alarm. Ghosting her warm breath across my cheek, she came to rest at my ear, her breath now warming my outer ear. "Of course, while it may be unpleasant to kill someone just for overhearing, remember that your fellow students are Britannians. If you don't do anything, I won't be surprised to find the police at the Academy, searching for you. You wouldn't want your rebellion to end before it even started, no?"

I swallowed hard. She had a point. The person I had to kill was probably just a brainless Britannian commoner, bowing to the Crown and behaving like an obedient dog, who would play a big part in my demise for a pat on the head. They were probably racist and of no use for society. Yes, I'd be doing everyone a favor by eliminating them.

C.C smiled victoriously and handed me the knife. She pressed the faintest of kisses on my cheek. "I'll be waiting," she whispered against my cheek before pulling away.

Nodding, I opened the door of the closet and stepped onto the dim light, tightly clutching the knife.

 **ACT 2: Lady Ashford**

To my surprise, the hallway was deserted as I came out of the closet. Letting the door close with a soft 'thump', I scanned my surroundings carefully, straining my ears to hear even the faintest intake of breath.

It was then I heard a most familiar voice call out my name. "Ooh, Lelouch!" The vixen by the name of Milly Asford called out. I swore, cursing my luck and quickly hiding the knife.

"Ah, Milly." I greeted with a small smile, "How nice to see you here."

Milly smiled a small smile of her own, clearly not buying my act. "I was just about to come to you! I have to take some pillows and pajamas for your sister, the poor girl had forgotten them." She explained, eyeing the closet. "By the way, what are _you_ doing here? It's a bit late, don't you think?"

I resisted the urge to chew at my lower lip. It was a bad habit of mine Milly could easily recognize, and which would be enough of an answer for her, as I did that only when thinking of a perfect little lie to tell that would work on most people.

Milly was unlike most people, though, so I decided to tell a bit of truth. I sighed. "You know about my little gambling addiction?" I asked, pretending to be reluctant to tell her.

"Little is an understatement, Lelouch." The blonde said with a shake of the head.

I did not take it to heart as she was clearly smiling. Good, I thought, she was buying it. Continuing with my act, I pretended to sound even more defeated. "Well, my opponent was actually a challenge and I almost lost due to underestimating him, which made our game take longer than it should've. The victory was mine in the end, as always, but with the traffic, I was forced to come late. You know how much I hate worrying Nunnally." That last part was true, at least.

She nodded, seemingly satisfied. "If that's the case, why did you come out of the closet? Don't tell me you've decided to pop your cherry in such a place?" She winked playfully at me.

"Oh, you know," I waved it off uncaringly, "I was looking for the janitor – there was a spill near the entrance and I did not want your grandfather to see that."

She eyed me with the eyes of a lion watching her prey. "As much as I appreciate your concern for Ashford, Lelouch, I still find it unlikely. The janitor leaves at 7 P.M., and it's 8 P.M. now."

"Ah," I smiled sheepishly, but sweating inside. "Is that so? I must've forgotten."

"But since I believe you would've told me if it was of any importance, I'll let it slide." Milly said, lightly tapping me on the cheek, "Now, why don't you get to your suite? I already have Nunnally's things."

Having said that, she left me alone in the hallway, singing a silly tune all the while.

I let out a breath of relief. That was close, way too close for my taste, but the important thing was that Milly was finally out of the way.

The next thing on my mind was to check whether Sayoko had retired for the night or not. It was actually well past the time she was supposed to retire, but I never knew it with that woman. She had a habit of staying with us the entire night, despite our protest. At first, I guess, it was because of the motherly instincts my sister's nightmares had triggered, but those had long stopped, thankfully.

I double-checked the pocket where the knife was hidden in, and headed for my suite, careful to avoid making noise.

Arriving at my destination after a few minutes, I slowly opened the door and called out for Sayoko, but silence was all that greeted me.

Even though I was pleased with this new development, my ever-growing paranoia was not yet satisfied, at least not completely. With slowness and carefulness that would put even ninjas to shame, I inspected every corner of the suite.

Thankfully, the only thing out of place was the steak on the dinner table Sayoko had prepared for me. When I touched it, it was still warm, meaning that Sayoko had left relatively soon.

Pleased with the outcome of my inspection, I left the suite in search for C.C.

In the few moments that I had spent roaming the suite, twilight had overtaken the outside world, and the halls of the Student Council building had gone dark. After a few minutes of walking, I reached the closet where I left the woman. If she left the closet, I swear I may just commit a second murder today. Ha, the day's earlier even feel like a distant memory, or a fading dream, now that I've returned to the comfort of the Britannan Settlement. I may well wake up any moment and forget any of this ever happened. No, of course I wouldn't forget. This dream would be burned into my mind as I etched it into reality someday. Only revenge could bind in such a way and make me aware of just how mad I am, but who said it was a bad thing? Madness was a tool unlike any other, capable of turning even doves into deadly scavengers, and the most pristine of men into monsters.

To my ire, I found the woman outside the closet, once again eating a slice of pizza. I bared my teeth in annoyance, swallowing the threat that wanted to spew from my lips and merely took her by the hand, yanking her away from the scene. As always, she was indifferent, not even responding or apologizing for her reckless actions.

 **ACT 3: AN ALLY LIKE NO OTHER**

I only let go of the woman's hand when we arrived, only to make sure there was nobody else behind us. When I came back, the witch was walking through the suite, occasionally nodding in approval.

Narrowing my eyes at her inspection, I crossed my hands over my chest and waited for her to speak. It would seem this woman was not entirely sane as well.

"Pretty nice place you've got here, Your Highness," she said with a small, sarcastic bow, clearly trying to make me angry, at which she succeeded, to my shame. I responded to her remark like an enraged bull chasing the matador, but I could not help it. The woman was behaving like she wanted to get me caught and then killed!

I could feel my nostrils flare as I rushed over to her to cover her mouth. "Two things here, girl. One, try to speak as little as possible right now. There's at least one person in this suite, and she may or may not be asleep as of right now. Explaining your presence to her sounds extremely irksome at present, so I'd prefer to avoid it. Second, don't mention my royal blood to anyone, and I do mean ANYONE. A banished prince stands little chance of survival if the entire world knows exactly where he is. Now, if you would please try not to get me killed, that would be much appreciated."

The vitriol came from my mouth at a cheetah's pace, though as silently as I could possibly speak, but still loud enough for only C.C. to hear. After C.C. nodded in agreement, I removed my hand from her mouth, which I'm surprised had gone unmarked by her teeth.

"Fine, fine, no need to get so aggressive," she whispered, rolling her eyes at my behaviour, however, that moment passed as she got serious. "Is there any place here where we may have a bit more privacy?"

"My room," I answer after a bit of thinking. The living room was out of the question since it was relatively close to Sayoko's room, Bathroom would be rather awkward, and my room was only close to Nunnally who was absent. "The other's room is on the opposite side of the suite, so I suppose we should go unheard there."

"Lead on."

This was the first time I'd brought a girl to my room who was not Milly or Nunnally. I hadn't expected the occasion to be on terms such as revolution, but I suppose variety is the spice of life after all.

Once in the room, I immediately retired to the chair next to my bed. Of course, C.C. nonchalantly made herself at home within seconds, and laid down on my bed, kicking off her shoes in the process.

"So, what do you think of what happened today, Lelouch?" C.C. asked me, with interest coloring her tone for the first time this evening.

What the hell does she mean by that?

"What do you want me to say?" I responded.

"You know, how you absolutely adore the power I gave you, and how you'll use it to make the world yours. You know, the usual," the witch said, now with her usual uncaring tone.

"You must be speaking from experience." I commented wryly.

"All of my contractors have said just that to me. Of course, none of them succeeded. Why should you be any different? After all, you're just a boy with nothing to cling to except that prestigious name of his."

I have to appreciate a good attempt to unnerve me.

"I suppose there is one difference between those people and I," I replied coolly.

"And what would that be?"

"Ambition."

"Oh, we have a meliorist! And here I thought you'd say something that would interest me. You can't change the world with work alone, now can you?"

"If you're so skeptical, why did you give me Geass? Me, out of everyone in Shinjuku?"

She laughed for a moment. "I had a feeling about you, Lelouch. I could tell you had something others didn't. Whether it be ambition, as you call it, or something else, I know you have at least some worth to me."

I was taken aback by her last bit. I was of some worth to her? She gave me this power. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

"Well, that and another thing as well. You're a surprisingly good leader, kid. Then again, those sorry excuses for 'fighters' would probably listen to anyone, given the predicament they were in," the emerald-haired woman chuckled sinisterly.

She was right, I could not hope to deny it. So I swallowed any retort I had in mind.

"Still, a victory is a victory, I guess, though it'll take a bit more than that little display of luck and trickery to impress me," she continued.

"Oh, forgive me Sun Tzu," I snarled.

It hasn't even been a full day and she and I have done nothing but bickered. This partnership can't end well.

"Admittedly, it was fun watching the pawns of both sides march so willingly to their deaths. That so many Japanese people would throw their lives away for little more than a dream of a dead country amuses me," she smirked.

Her brimstone eyes were more cruel than anything I had ever seen.

C.C. suddenly glared at something behind me. Following her gaze, I saw she was looking at my closet. What? Did she want to make a joke about me having cross dressing tendencies or something?

"I know you're in that closet. Come out."

To my surprise, the door of the closet suddenly opened and Sayoko slowly emerged from the shadows, her eyes glued to the witch's figure.

I blinked in surprise, praying it was all just an illusion.

I chuckled at my absolutely horrid luck. Of course something like this would happen. It took us only a few minutes to be found out, which must set a record somewhere.

"I apologize for eavesdropping, Master Lelouch," Sayoko said, appearing to be calm and collected despite being caught." But I just couldn't help myself. You were horribly late, and I was curious, but did not want to press the issue originally, opting to clean your closet instead. I couldn't just come out and instead stayed inside."

Ah, that explains it. Sayoko was the type of person who would cook and clean when distressed.

In the half-moment that it took for me to turn my head to read C.C.'s expression, Sayoko, with inhuman speed, had already sprinted over to us and set upon my newest associate. Too startled to even move, I could only watch as Sayoko expertly and deliberately plunged her knife into C.C.'s lower neck.

The witch did not even flinch, but merely gazed at the knife with disinterest, grabbing it by the blade and taking it out, causing blood to drench my bedsheets.

Sayoko froze for a moment, now equally as horrified as I, which was enough for the witch to kick her off her.

"You're ripping my clothes, so I'd prefer if you'd stop" C.C. said as streaks of blood emerged from her lips.

Sayoko's eyes were wide, as she was wrought with terror. Though who could blame her? I was equally taken aback.

After a moment of the most awkward silence imaginable, I decided to chime in. "Sayoko, could you please take these bedsheets to the wash? They're ruined."

"Y-yes Master Lelouch," she said, her voice still shaking.

After Sayoko had left, I decided to address the elephant in the room.

"Are you… okay?"

"Perfectly fine."

"Let me see your wound," I said, my mind wandering back to her being shot in the ghetto.

Sure enough, when I set my eyes upon where she was stabbed, the wound appeared to be healing itself. Seeing flesh stitch itself back together was actually more unnerving than watching it being ripped apart.

"My full title is C.C., The Immortal Witch," she muttered as she turned to gaze at my look of disbelief.

Later, when we were all sitting at the desk in the kitchen, with Sayoko and C.C. as far away from each other as possible, I decided to ask Sayoko to join me instead of simply geassing her. While my morals were questionable at best, I still had a debt to Sayoko for taking care of my little sister all these years.

C.C. was eating pizza, as usual, while Sayoko and I settled for her traditional apple pie.

It took me around twenty minutes to explain the events of the day to Sayoko, who was clearly disturbed at how little Britannia cared for its citizens, but never interrupted me.

She was silent for a few awkward minutes as I finished my tale, likely processing the information and considering her options.

Suddenly, she cleared her throat, causing me to shift my attention to the woman as she nervously played with her slice of pie. "Master," she began softly, "What you've done is something I shall always be indebted to you for. My fellow Japanese have given you nothing but trouble all these years and you still refused to let Britannians wipe them out, going as far as to kill your own step brother. I cannot say I'm perfectly pleased with you choosing to fight, but I beg of you to let me serve you and help you in your revolution. Feel free to use me as you will."

"Sayoko, you sprinted over to C.C. faster than I even knew someone could move, and stabbed her perfectly between her neck and shoulder. If it weren't for her 'circumstances' she'd have died within seconds. That said, it's evident that you're no ordinary maid," I said to her.

She hesitated for a moment before nodding meekly. "Well, I guess you could say I'm a few things. I'm trained in the arts of an assassin, ninja, and spy."

I nearly choked on my pie. "What?!"

"That's why the Ashfords assigned me to you, Lelouch vi Britannia. I double as a maid and protector to you."

At this point, even the witch had an eyebrow raised. "You keep interesting company." she commented.

* * *

 **Thanks a ton to our beta, Juvia, for her amazing work.**

 **The response for this story has so far been great, and we wish to thank all of you - your support means a lot to us.**

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	3. Interlude I

**CHAPTER 1.5**

 _ACT: 1_

* * *

 _Well, it would seem that being captured by that nuisance Clovis may just work in my favor after all._ The immortal mused. She'd been in that capsule for far too long, and the pain in her back was only barely worth her recent find. Lelouch vi Britannia, she toyed with that name in her mind as she made her way down the ravaged streets of the Shinjuku Ghetto. Even then, the sounds of war reached her, as explosions, bullets, and of course, the motors of knightmares could be heard for miles.

The screams of those poor fools filled her ears, and she smiled. If they only knew the peace that death would bring them, but they were only mere mortals, oblivious to many things. They fought desperately to keep their worthless lives, and probably dreamt of immortality. How foolish. Immortality was a curse she would never wish upon anyone, not even that bratty Prince Clovis. Of course, it was rather interesting in the first few years, but as she got older, C.C. found out just how painful it really was. No wonder that damn nun wanted to lose it so bad, that she would play with the heart of a little girl, twist her mind and give her the power of geass, making her every wish come true, only to cruelly take it away with a smile on her face.

C.C. shuddered at the memories. She remembered how the men who had desperately fought for her attention trailed after her as she ran, only to burn her at the stake for being a witch. Of course, she had survived. In those first few pivotal decades, immortality had its charms and benefits. She had lost count of the number of times she had been burned, stabbed, stoned, and more recently, shot over the pain was always there though, making her remember just how much she hated both herself and the nun.

She never experienced death like a mortal would. When she was still young, believing there were other ways she could die, she had willingly allowed men to stab her, behead her, drown her and poison her, praying it would be the last pain she would ever feel. She always woke up, though, disappointed and more depressed. When she 'died', it felt like a dream - there was no light as mortals thought, finding beautiful things about it and embracing it willingly. She'd only feel her wounds slowly heal over time, waiting in the darkness, flooded with her own thoughts, desperately awaiting the moment she'd stop feeling at all and fade into nothingness. However, that moment never came.

She was eventually forced to accept one 'truth' that that godless nun had bestowed upon her before her death. "You'll live forever, like I was once slated to. Then, I found you, C.C., you, who would save me from this life. Once more, the cycle will be renewed, but with you and another."

With every step she took, her drive and wish for death only grew stronger.

 _Well I can't have that kid dying on me already, so it'd be best if I follow him around a bit, just to be sure that he's safe_ , C.C. thought as she stepped over the burning corpses of soldiers and Japanese civilians alike. Surprisingly, Lelouch was giving Clovis hell on the battlefield, as the Britannian forces lost more and more ground to the small band of insurgents. At least, that's what the witch had heard from a radio that one of the dead soldiers was carrying on his person. _Maybe, just maybe…_ , she thought to herself.

"The terrorists are pushing on the MCC, and we're two squads down, send squads Omega and Delta to point G20 and cut them off. It's where the terrorist are thickest! Stop them from getting closer to his Royal Highness at all cost to life and limb! All Hail Britannia!" the commander shouted, and C.C. snickered at the cheers from the other soldiers. Britannian soldiers were so naive it made her laugh almost always.

 _It would seem he is headed for the MCC. To kill Clovis maybe? It can be an interesting thing to see._ She thought, climbing into the cockpit of a nearby Sutherland. The Mobile Command Center was two miles away, and she could not get there in time on her feet. She did not want to miss the show for anything.

Not surprisingly, she had some skill with Knightmares, a courtesy of being close to Marianne vi Britannia, Lelouch's mother. She was an ace pilot, defeating even the Knight of One, Bismarck without tiring. The Knight had insisted that she at least learn how to pilot a knightmare, so she could defend herself.

For the first time, C.C. was grateful for that. The controls were far simpler than the ones on the Ganymede, and C.C. figured out how to use it in no time. She turned on the radio, listening to the Britannians so she could see whether she was close to the MCC or not.

She wondered if she would help Lelouch and his little band of terrorists, but decided against it. The last thing she needed was unnecessary attention from both sides.

The ride was fairly short and quiet, C.C. managing to avoid any conflict without making herself look suspicious.

She climbed out of the frame, and headed for the entrance. She raised her eyebrow when she noticed nobody was guarding it. _Maybe Lelouch is already here?_

The sight that greeted her upon entering was unexpected to say the least. Bodies were everywhere, covering every corridor, and turning the royal violet of the carpet into bloody red. _Yes, the boy is definitely here._ she thought, observing his handiwork, barely managing not to grin at her luck. He was ready to drown Britannia in the blood of both the innocent and the guilty. He was bloodthirsty, she was glad to notice. Men like that were always easy to manipulate and twist to her whims.

Before she could properly explore the rest of the MCC, she heard raised voices in the adjacent room.

The trail of broken bodies continued into the room where she heard the voices. Among those speaking was Lelouch, who stood over an obviously terrified Clovis, who had a gun pointed at his head. _This should be a fine performance_ , C.C. thought as she peeked out from behind the metal door frame.

Clovis' face suddenly twisted from the kind one which he had miserably failed to present, to one of disgust. "You know what, you disgust me. You and your entire line disgusts me. You rotten people, the vi Britannias have gotten what they deserve, especially your disgusting bitch of a mother!" Clovis spat at his assailant.

 _Oh, bad move, boy. Extremely bad move._ The brat was even more foolish than she thought. Insulting Lelouch _and_ Marriane? What was he thinking? Oh, but she was pleased. Lelouch's rection would probably not disappoint.

To C.C.'s astonishment, however, Lelouch merely gave Clovis a smile for a few moments, nothing more nothing less. He hadn't shot, or even hit Clovis for his impudence. _Well, maybe he doesn't have it in him_ -, C.C. started before she saw Lelouch entrench a knife deep within Clovis' neck.

Nothing could possibly match her glee at seeing Clovis' blood splatter across the room as Lelouch tore into his being, ripping him apart. _Is that what I look like when someone kills me?_ , C.C. couldn't help but laugh. Luckily, the murderer had been too focused on his brother to hear her. After another few moments of violent slashing, all that remained of Clovis was his untouched, yet pale face, and some pink and red bits which littered the floor. Deciding that the main act of the show was over, C.C. departed from the MCC, though not without grabbing a slice of pizza that someone had left sitting out on a nearby table.

Outside, C.C. stood, silently munching on her snack as she waited for Lelouch. _I wonder if he'll tell me about… that_ , she said to herself. It was another test of sorts, to see if the boy had split personalities, or felt any remorse. Surely enough, Lelouch, as coolly as ever, strode out of the MCC. The immortal wondered how he could so casually walk away from the site of a vicious murder. He looked at her for a moment. The unspoken question in his eyes. "Sorry for getting lost," C.C. said with a streak of cheese at the side of her mouth.

"You're saying you got lost, yet you're nonchalantly munching at a slice of pizza?"

Luckily for C.C., Lelouch hadn't noticed the pizza that the soldiers had left behind in the Mobile Command Center. It was not from Pizza Hut, but it would serve.

"Whatever," Lelouch huffed, "Let's just get back to Ashford Academy. I have people there that are probably worried sick about me."

"You know, maybe you should take a shower first and grab a change of clothes."

He looked at himself for a moment, then a disturbing smile creeped onto his face.

"What's so funny?" C.C. asked him, though it was a rhetorical question.

"Oh, nothing, I'm just glad that my family's bloodline has gotten a bit more pure."

 _Oh, this one will do just fine_.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 3

**CROWN OF THORNS**

 **CHAPTER 3**

 **ACT 1**

* * *

As Ashford Academy was rather crowded and full of brainless Britannian students in the mornings, I made sure to take carefully measured steps and use every little secret passage that I knew of. It was not that I was avoiding anyone in particular; I just liked being alone, and the absence of my obscure fangirls was just a bonus. Truly, I do not realize what they see in me that is so appealing. I'm not even trying to get in their pants like Rivalz does with Milly, that poor desperate fool.

Sayoko and C.C. seemed to get along like oil and water, and it amused me to no end, but with the right emulsifier, namely myself, they could get along just fine. While Sayoko was passionate and swift to act, C.C. was more akin to myself with her indifferent expressions and cold demeanor that would make sunbathing in Antarctica seem like a good idea.

I quite liked that witch; it seemed like every deliberate brush of the hand was carefully planned hours before, that she could read my thoughts, readily answering my every question. She ought to be a vital piece in my game. I only needed to earn her trust.

The sound of leaves rustling broke my train of thought and I gritted my teeth, thinking it was probably one of my ever growing band of brainwashed fangirls. Cursing my luck, I hid behind the trunk of an old cherry tree in the Ashford gardens.

As expected, a girl emerged from the shadows, a very annoyed expression on her face, if not a bit worried. I immediately raised my eyebrow at the strange girl; clearly , this one was not here to bother me.

The girl quickly inspected her surroundings, reminding me of a doe hiding from a vicious hunter in an unknown forest. Then she dug her right hand in the pocket of her uniform, which was a tight fit, I noted, squeezing the girl's body in all the right places and showing off her curves.

In her other hand, she held a pink pouch, her thumb hovering a spot.

Narrowing my eyes, I waited, hoping to hear the familiar sound of the knife sliding out. I knew I had seen that fiery red hair somewhere before, even if the hairstyle was different.

In a couple of seconds, I was graced with the sound I was aching to hear. Smiling from ear to ear like Cheshire Cat, I applauded myself for my newest catch.

This girl was most likely not the sick and frail girl she portrayed herself to be. If the hair wasn't of any indication, the pouch was a dead giveaway.

I had one of those as well. They were custom made by the Six Houses of Kyoto and shipped to all the resistance groups in Japan, its purpose similar to the one of my broach; only it was much easier to fabricate.

I had retrieved mine from a foolish Japanese man who had tried to rob me a few months back as I was going to a chess match with the Black King, the leader of Area 11's many con artists group. Surely enough, the man I refer to as Yamato, since he had claimed he was a member of a so called Yamato Alliance, did not live to tell the tale.

He had been my first kill of an Eleven, and I must admit, severing his limbs was a pastime I rather enjoyed. The pouch was just a bonus.

I froze when Kallen began moving around the garden, even searching through a bush near me. Holding my breath, I forced myself to remain still, or at least pretend to be sleeping.

The tense silence lasted only seconds as Kallen seemed to be satisfied and fished out a cell phone from her pocket.

Furiously typing, she pressed the phone to her ear and waited.

"Tamaki, I don't have time for your bullshit right now." She spoke impatiently in fluent Japanese, without the slightest hint of an accent.

 _Well, color me impressed,_ I mused absentmindedly as I listened to her conversation with a person named Ohgi, probably the same man from yesterday, and if I can judge from her tone, he was their leader.

She and her little band of terrorists should really work on being stealthy, or just use code names instead. The girl was lucky it was me who was eavesdropping, not some average Britannian student.

It honestly made me wonder how they have survived so long without someone to hold their hand through every step on the way.

I now knew not only the names of every member of their group, but the location of their not-so-secret hideout. It was a piece of information I could use in the future. They were curious about the voice from Shinjuku, as expected. Currently the most popular theory was that it was Todoh, and I barely stopped myself from snorting. As if Todoh would waste his time on them. Not to mention the old fool would not work with them on something as dishonorable as stealing poison gas.

That man was way too honorable for his own good.

After a few minutes, she hung up and hurried away from the scene, and it took me a second to realise she dropped something.

Crouching down on the grass, I lifted the picture, carefully examining it. Kallen was standing on a table laughing, while a boy who could not be older than 12 was flipping pancakes, laughing as well. The resemblance was uncanny. Shrugging, I took the picture and put it in my front pocket. It was probably her brother, a useful bit of info to have, I suppose.

Removing the blades of grass from my uniform, I hurried back to class, smiling all the while.

"It's her brother," C.C. said as she looked at the photo. Some time after class, I had returned to the suite to confer with the witch on my next move. "How can you be so sure?" I asked her.

"Look at their characteristics. They look too similar to be cousins, and their ages are close as well," she pointed out.

Well, if she also thinks that they're siblings, my first guess probably wasn't wrong.

"Now that I think about it, I've seen this girl before, here, on campus," she continued. "What was her name? Kallen… Stadtfeld?"

"Yeah, she's a student here."

"Why do you have her picture? You found someone new to stalk?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at that one.

"The day I found you, I heard her voice over the radio while I was in a knightmare. I even commanded her resistance group that day. Also she mentioned the name Ohgi, another name I heard while we were in Shinjuku," I replied.

"If that's the case, then you either have a potential ally, or a massive threat to your safety," C.C. said, returning the picture of Kallen and her brother to me.

"She's definitely could be an ally, along with that group of hers, but also a possible hindrance since she's so close."

"So, you have two choices, well, three really: convince her to lead you to her friends, use Geass on her, or kill her."

"Geass it is, then."

"But before you decide, you should know that your Geass has a limit of one usage per person. Any further attempts to control them will be met with weird looks and questions about your mental health," she said.

Well, fuck. I suppose that should keep things interesting, then.

"Maybe I'll just talk to her then," I said slipping the photo back into my pocket.

"Just use Geass to find out where her friends' hideout is so you can dispose of her. After all, the danger isn't worth it," C.C. mused. "You'll still have a sufficient amount of toys to play with, even without her."

C.C. is more vicious than I thought.

"No need for that. All she needs a bit of 'aggressive persuasion', then I'm sure she'll be understanding," I laughed. "You're a bit on the bloodthirsty side, aren't ya?"

"Hmph, just trying to keep you from dying prematurely, kid," she said blankly.

That look… that look was odd. Usually, that blank stare of hers was reserved for others. Others, I would assume, she wasn't interested in. Well, I've always taken to women with agendas.

Tracking down the problematic redhead had been easier than it should've been, in my humble opinion. No challenge at all. For someone who bragged about being stealthy, she was awfully easy to find. I did not know if she said it to convince Ohgi or herself; probably both.

It only took a smile sent to a teacher for her schedule, an offer to help out a fellow student for her current location, and whisper false promises of a possible date to one of her friends in exchange for Kallen's version of her past.

I pretended to listen to Rivalz as he talked about his newest idea to woo Milly, judging from the bits and pieces I'd gathered.

Kallen was right in front of us, like a sitting duck among her friends, who were too busy gushing over Leonardo DiCaprio and his new movie about Britannia's dominance over Japan.

I could practically see her ire radiating off her. I considered taking away to spare her from the misery, but decided against it; an annoyed enemy was easy to read and counter and the angrier she is, the better it was for me.

So, I waited, occasionally nodding my head at poor Rivalz when he considered the best way to show Milly he liked her and observed the young woman.

Sophie Wood began praising the Emperor for the Kyoto Massacre, an event where the Britannians burned over eight thousand Japanese women and children alive for refusing to cooperate and reveal the location of their men in the military.

I grinned, now completely ignoring Rivalz, and observed Kallen for a reaction. This was going to be interesting.

Kallen suddenly raised her hand, and for a split second I thought she was going to blow her cover and slap the girl, she seemed to have realised where her hand was, and merely used it to get rid of a mosquito buzzing near Sophie.

My grin dropped and I sighed in disappointment. That could've been interesting, to see that foolish girl losing her cool, not to mention a good opening for me to step in, playing the role of a trustworthy student who understands her completely; a timeless classic which works every time.

I excused myself, leaving Rivalz to his own devices, and passed the girls on purpose, dropping the photograph in the process.

I decided that terrified realization suited Kallen better than the pleased one in Shinjuku. She seemed so vulnerable in that moment, as if the thought of being discovered was running through her head faster than the speed of light.

Excusing herself with a shaky excuse of being sick again, I heard her footsteps as she slowly followed me into the Ashford Gardens.

Pretending to yawn, I eased myself onto the soft grass, leaning against the same tree I used for hiding from Kallen.

Her footsteps suddenly stopped. She was probably thinking about what to do, or how to make her presence known.

I decided to spare her the trouble. Opening my eyes, I faked surprise as I eyed her. "Miss Stadtfelt?" I murmured sleepily, "What are you doing here?"

She fidgeted, as if caught in the act of stealing cookies from the jar. "I just like the air in the gardens, to be honest. It's so fresh!" she laughed awkwardly.

"Because you're sick and all, is that right?"

She nodded almost shyly.

"In that case," I grinned, "Be my guest."

I patted the spot next to me, and she looked agitated for a moment. I raised an eyebrow. Was she thinking I would attack her when she lowers her guard?

I sent her my best sheepish smile and when she finally sat down, I made a note to thank Milly later. I used the smile to escape her scoldings because of my gambling addiction, or get her to allow me to skip classes.

Over the next five minutes, I chatted with her about ordinary things like grades, teachers, Milly, to get her to finally relax before I dropped the bomb.

I wanted to seem like an ordinary Britannian student, carefree and useless in almost every situation. At first, I feared she might be able to see through my act and read between the lines, but slowly she seemed to believe me, or at least I thought so, since she stopped holding her hand close to the pocket where her knife was.

I decided to test the waters after a few moments. "You've heard about Shinjuku, right? I mean, who hasn't?"

She continued to pretend to seem interested. "Yeah, of course. Shame, I think it's really a tragedy."

"Yeah, all those soldiers that died in Shinjuku, what a waste of Britannian blood." Forcing myself to sound sad, I shook my head.

I wanted to vomit.

"And what of the thousands of Japanese that died, don't you care at all about them?" She asked, raising her tone, though by a negligible amount.

I shrugged."I suppose, but come on, they were just terrorists, just Elevens. Why do you-"

Her hand at my throat cut me off. "God, I hate people like you!"

Check.

I smirked. "I saw a photo of you earlier. You bear a striking resemblance to another Japanese boy in the same picture. Odd, isn't it?"

Her grip on my neck tightened to an astonishing degree. I'll definitely have prints left on me after this one.

"Kallen! Hey, you're missing the movie! Leonardo DiCaprio is about to fight Todoh, you can't miss… what are you doing?" one of the girls from earlier interrupted.

"Oh, sorry, Lelouch and I were just discussing recent events, and I noticed his collar was misshapen, I'll be right back," she said, reverting to her droopy-eyed persona.

While her hold on my throat had loosened, the knee on my crotch was another story. I barely stopped myself from yelling.

"Right, Lelouch?" she asked with a sickeningly sweet smile as she pressed her knee even harder.

"Y-yes." I managed through gritted teeth. Damn girl was troublesome.

"We'll finish our talk some other time then, Miss Stadtfeld?" I asked as she removed herself from me.

She nodded with one last fierce glare at me as she departed.

Oh god, I can imagine C.C. smirking as she notices the fingerprints on my throat or my trouble walking properly.

Wincing as I stood up, I headed for the Student Council building in hopes of convincing Milly having Kallen in the Council was a good idea.

* * *

 **ACT 2**

"Lose a fight?" C.C. asked me, referring to the prints on my neck.

I decided to head back to my suite and corroborate with C.C. once more on the matter. Despite her nonchalance and caustic remarks, she was ever the conspirator. "Somewhat," I laughed, "it was with a girl too."

"That red-haired girl?"

"You guessed it."

"So she is the one."

"No doubt about it. I didn't get to finish my conversation with her, though. Some nuisance decided to interrupt us just as I was about to get to the good part."

I hadn't noticed at first, but C.C. was once again eating a slice of pizza, and the box was on the nightstand next to her.

"I see you're using my money well," said I. She continued to enjoy her slice.

"Anyways, I think I can make her an ally, and perhaps a permanent one. Well, at least until she dies," I continued.

"If you can, then by all means, do it. Just be careful you don't end up making an enemy of her," the witch murmured through the cheese in her mouth.

"Hey, she and her little band already owe me their lives, so their culture probably demands that they serve me."

"Oh, and what about you and me?"

"... What?"

Her eyes lit up as if the universe was before her. "Were it not for me, you'd have died."

"True," I huffed, "but I'm sure the pizza is enough for you, or are you saying it's not a good reward? In that case I'll make sure you don't taste it anymore by ripping out your tongue."

The cockyness disappeared from her face, and she almost seemed afraid of the notion.

"I'm going to take a shower, I'll be back soon," I said to the woman, who was now grasping her tongue in fear.

* * *

ACT 3

"It's almost 4 P.M., hopefully the Britannian military will have taught Villetta to be punctual," I said to myself as I awaited my soon-to-be soldiers at the train. The outfit I created, while a sight to behold, could be a bit hot at some points, and I'd prefer to limit how much I wear the thing. Hopefully, the costume and persona I've created for 'Zero' will become an ideal rather than a person. Of course, the Japanese will take to Zero and what he stands for. After all, freedom and dignity are just what an oppressed people crave. The Japanese people, above all the others crave their freedom and 'honor' to be returned to them. Such a silly word, 'honor'. They need a single beacon of hope in their time of need. Unlike the JLF and those useless 'resistance groups', I actually plan on taking Britannia head on. That should satisfy them enough to learn to trust me. Though, it'd be best if I keep my identity as a Britannian from them. 'Purple-eyed devils' is what they called the Royal Family. Years of oppression had made sure their tolerance was rather low, not that I blame them. My own hatred towards Britannia was like a burning fire, growing bigger every single day.

"We're almost there, just a few more minutes," Villetta's voice spoke to me from the communicator. Convincing Villetta of my wish to go back to Britannia and take my rightful place on the throne was pathetically easy. She's so greedy, so uncaring, that she would sell her own mother for a glance from the Emperor. Heh, I bet she would sleep with him if he asked, regardless of age. Not a moment had passed before I saw several shadows rise from the bottom of the stairs leading to the train station. As I had rehearsed, I walked into the train and sat in a vacant seat. "Enter the train," I said into the communicator.

One by one, the confused members of the resistance group filed in after Villetta, whom I still hadn't informed of my plan. The one I assume they call Ohgi strolled in first, Kallen, who seemed to grow more worrisome with each step followed him, and an assortment of nameless, generic Japanese fighters brought up the rear. "Don't you all have to get off at this stop?" I said to seemingly no one at all. The people whom I had Geassed earlier all rose in unison once they heard the phrase and departed the cabin, leaving only my new legion and I. The stage is set. "Thank you, Villetta, for summoning the resistance group to me, and thank you all for coming," I said to the confused group.

"You're the one who radioed us at Shinjuku, yes?" Ohgi asked a bit reluctantly. I smiled beneath the mask. It would seem he was intimidated by me, to my amusement.

"Yes," I answered. "Before I begin, does anyone have any questions?"

The train began to move.

"What is your name?" Ohgi asked.

"You may refer to me as Zero," I replied with a small bow.

"That's not what I meant. What's your given name?" Ohgi asked once more. It would seem their leader was as clueless as he was annoying. A shame for them, but a good pawn; perfect for a figurehead leader.

"What does a name matter? No matter what you may call me, my actions and words will be the same. Shouldn't those prove my worth?"

"But how can we trust you if you can't even trust us with a name?"

Thankfully, my mask covered my scowl. Already, Ohgi has proved to be irksome. He was reluctant to follow my commands in Shinjuku, and now he seems to actually possess at least part of a brain, much unlike the rest of the lot.

The train picked up speed.

"I assume you know of Clovis' death?" I asked, deciding to use my trump card.

"Of course, some Japanese soldier, Kururugi murdered him," Ohgi replied. "What of it?"

"Ha, the Britannian news media is a joke. That was, of course, a fabrication to hide the truth about Clovis' murderer," I laughed.

The group seemed unsettled at my words as they shifted about. Only Villetta remained truly calm.

"Oh come on, what, are you saying you killed Clovis? What a joke!" One of the nameless faces near the rear yelled.

The train accelerated once more.

"Tamaki, shut it!" Kallen violently whispered at at the redhead.

"I did, and here's the proof." "I tossed Clovis' broach, which I'd taken from his neck after he died, to Ohgi" I hadn't bothered cleaning the blood from it.

"This is…-"

"It is," I cut Ohgi off. "I think that should prove my sincerity ten times over."

I paused for a moment to let the effect sink in. The wide-eyed stares from Ohgi, Kallen, and even Villetta informed me that they were well within the palm of my hand.

"I still don't trust this guy. That thing could easily be a fake!" the one called Tamaki blurted out again.

These people are going to be a handful, I'm sure.

"If you believe that that's a fake, then you must be the group fool," I said coolly, but viciously.

"Why, you!" The moron shouted as he drew a knife and charged at me.

Wordlessly, I drew my own knife with my right hand, and deflected his with my left.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked, bringing the blade to his throat.

The train picked up more speed, turning the outside world into a blur of orange and white.

"Whoa, whoa, easy now. Let's all just calm down here," Ohgi said, coming over to drag Tamaki back to them. "Hey, isn't the train moving a bit fast?"

"Yes, I've asked the conductor to accelerate to top speed," I said to the lot.

"Why?" Villetta asked me, hand on her gun.

"So we can derail, of course!"

Villetta drew her pistol. "What the hell, why would-"

"You trust me, don't you?" I cut her off with a raise of the hand.

Villetta fell silent and lowered her weapon. The others, however, seemed terrified.

"See, I knew he couldn't be trusted!" Tamaki yelled as he grasped his throat, which now had a small cut on it from my knife.

Kallen glared at me with those sharp eyes of hers.

The train was now at its top speed, and it rumbled as it zoomed across the tracks. "You all may want to sit for this next turn!" I exclaimed as I sat. After all, the next turn would surely send us flying off the tracks. The horrified lot scrambled to find a seat, and I think I saw Tamaki start crying and beg for his miserable life. It's unfortunate that he'll survive this.

Once at the sharp turn, the train immediately flipped onto its side, and some of the cabins further up detached from the rest of the train and flew clean off the tracks and through the rails, ending their journey at the intersection below us. I got to my feet and turned to face Villetta. "You should leave now. You especially can't risk being caught here, so go leave this area."

She looked at me for a moment and grinned. "You planned all of this, didn't you?"

"If I hadn't, you'd have been crushed."

With that, she jumped out of the sizeable hole in the cabin that the crash had created and jogged away.

"There are weapons and explosives at the very back of this train. Now, if you would all follow me, we can retrieve them and leave," I said to the rest of my ragtag group, who were still recovering from the shock.

"I think we'd better do what the man says," Ohgi said through fits of coughing.

* * *

 **We thank our beta, Juvia, for her absolutely amazing work.**


	5. Chapter 4

ACT 1

Ashford Academy seemed to be shrouded in a veil of silence as I carefully made my way out of the building which had become another home for Nunnally and myself since my disgrace in front of the whole world. Well, more for Nunnally than myself anyway. As much as I appreciate the Ashfords' kindness toward me and my sister, the memory of Aries Villa is deeply etched into my soul, reminding me of the wonderful sound of Nunnally's laugh and the beautiful violet gaze that made my breath hitch, along with my mother's gentle touches and soft whispers of warning.

Still, I knew that time had long passed. There was no way I would return to the Aries Villa, with every member of the family broken in some way. Mother was long dead and buried, merely a rotten corpse six feet under ground. Nunnally was blind and crippled, and I, I was no longer the innocent boy I had once been.

My mother would probably disapprove and think of it as a shame, but I cared not for the opinion of the long dead. As much as I hate to admit it, Charles was right in some aspects, motherhood had softened my mother. She was no longer the same woman who had once been the famous Knight of Two, intimidating any other imperial consorts into submission. No, she was a caring mother and let her guard down.

I will not make the same mistake.

Letting the door close with a soft clicking sound, I drank the last sip of my coffee and threw the plastic cup in the trash. I patted the black suitcase next to me, which contained my new outfit, and slowly began to descend down the stairs.

This particular suitcase was not the one you'd usually find in stores. It was made of hardened steel, and only a bomb could seriously damage it, with its insides covered in the finest satin. It could only be unlocked if a person knew three passwords. The first one was a combination of numbers, the other words and the last one a combination of both numbers and words.

Even if the chance of anyone other than me guessing the password, an Exiled Prince such as myself had not the luxury of a single hint of doubt. I had to make sure the secrets in the suitcase would remain safe and sound.

Thus, the last obstacle. Equipped with the latest DNA recognition software, it analyzed the person's DNA while they typed. If the person was not myself and got the passcodes right, it would trigger the self destruction system and dissolve its contents - along with the person's fingers, I noted idly.

Smiling at the image of Tamaki or some other fool losing their fingers, I surveyed the area for a vehicle I could 'borrow', so to speak, when the annoying squeak of "Lulu!" reached my ears.

I growled almost inaudibly at my luck. Only I would be so unlucky as to see her at a time like this. Still, I could not let her notice the shift in my behavior. I kicked the suitcase into the nearby bush and turned around to face the girl with a fake smile on my lips.

"Ah, Shirley," I greeted pleasantly, "What a surprise to see you outside this late! What brings you here?" Counting down the seconds, I waited for the inevitable reaction my actions would trigger. She was painfully easy to read, twisting and turning to my behest, without even realizing how she was being played. I cursed the day I thought she would be an interesting person to manipulate.

Three.

Her eyes darted, softening as her breathing quickened for the slightest bit.

Two.

She subconsciously held her hands together, and her lips quivered, as if she were glancing upon Zeus himself.

One.

Her lips pulled up in a dumb smile.

Check.

Her cheeks reddened, and she looked away, muttering softly to herself.

Shirley was like an instrument I could play forever, even in a manner that suggested I did not know what I was doing, but the music would always reach my ears, filling them with an exquisite melody.

Still, the melody was always the same. No matter what I did, Shirley would react in the same way. It quickly bored me.

"Umm… " It would seem the girl had finally regained the power of speech. I looked at her, interested in whatever way I could twist this situation and escape without her suspecting. Despite all, Shirley was a good friend. "I was just returning from a late swimming session. There's a competition next week and I'm really nervous since Emily Blackwood will be there too and…"

She quietened as I pressed my finger on her lips, effectively stopping the torrent of very probable self loathing that would take a while. "Look, Shirley," I began softly, "I've seen how you swim, and I know you're better than Emily will ever hope to be. You truly enjoy it and pour your very heart and soul into it, so do not worry, you'll be just fine. Just believe in yourself, okay?"

She nodded furiously a few times, but did nothing to move my finger from her lips, instead staring blankly, as if seeing through me.

Shrugging, I waited for her to regain her composure, knowing the girl was probably proud of herself for being praised by me. As a young boy, I had the same reaction whenever my mother praised me. I wonder what felt better, the satisfaction of beating Clovis for the umpteenth time at chess, or my mother's approval of doing so?

Suddenly, as if snapping from a trance, Shirley glared up at me with something I could not quite place shining in her eyes.

"You're out gambling again, aren't you?!" she accused, her voice a mixture of disappointment and worry.

When she wanted to be, Shirley could be more than a simple poster girl. Realizing she would not buy any of my usual excuses, I smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of my neck.

Immediately, the glare softened. Oh my, I truly knew how to play her perfectly, like my perfect little flute. Still, anger lingered in her eyes.

"There's this guy, Manfred. He asked me to play with him again this evening, for the sum of two hundred thousand pounds. It's just an offer I couldn't refuse." I forced myself to sound defeated as I 'confessed'.

She shook her head sadly. "Is money that important to you, Lulu?"

"No, but Nunnally is. I don't care about money. It's just colored paper with faces and words printed on it. But if it takes money to care for and support my sister and I, then I'll do whatever I can. Gambling is just the easiest way to get a large sum of money without wasting time on real work for me. Can you imagine me working in a factory? As a cashier at some dingy supermarket? No, but I can play chess against ignorant, prideful nobles whenever I want, and earn money doing something I enjoy. I earn more money in a few minutes than Rivalz does working in that cafe for a month. Just ask him if you don't believe me. I have to make sure Nunnally has a future. If that means gambling, then so be it."

Unexpectedly, Shirley lunged forward into my chest and began to sob. It wasn't the sobbing that was surprising, far from it actually, as it was my aim, but the fact that she was brave enough to actually touch me instead of behaving like I was some kind of sacred divine temple.

"Oh, Lulu," she whimpered into my chest, and I noted with annoyance that my uniform was getting wet. Still, I forced myself to ignore it, at least for the sake of my cover. "You're such a good person, I don't think you could even harm a fly."

It took all of my self control not to laugh at the sheer absurdity of that statement. Oh Shirley, you beautiful fool. Her ignorance, or perhaps innocence, was honestly astonishing. 'Could never harm a fly'? As if.

Her sobbing continued for quite a bit, accompanied by the murmurs of praise and admiration constantly bubbling from her lips.

After several uncomfortable moments, she calmed down and pulled away reluctantly. "Oh Lulu, you would do everything for Nunnally. How can I stay mad at you?" she said, "But that doesn't mean I'm not worried about you. Be careful, please."

Shirley Fenette is without a doubt my favorite plaything.

 **ACT 2**

I was quite surprised to receive a call from Villetta right after I left Shirley to her own devices. She didn't say exactly why, but she instructed me to go to The Black Sakura bar in the Settlement, saying it was urgent. I sincerely hope she doesn't plan on betraying and selling me out. It'd be a waste if I had to tear such a pretty and talented woman apart. Well, my lackeys and I have plans, but I suppose I can be a little late.

The railway was still largely inoperable due to the events of the past few days, so I was forced to take a flagging down a taxi, I was greeted by a Japanese driver."Where you goin' sir?" he asked me with a quiver in his voice. Naturally, he seemed nervous at having picking me up. I'm not surprised, though, blue collar Japanese workers are often berated and beaten by their Britannian clients."Do you know The Black Sakura bar?" I asked the driver politely.

"Yeah, I know where it is, I'll have you there soon," he replied, put off by my kindness.

"Thank you, and thanks for picking me up," I said as I set my suitcase down next to me.

In the rear-view mirror, I'm sure that I saw the man silently tear up.

The Black Sakura was a pretty popular place. Everyone, from Japanese to military personnel came to visit the place, and I could see why. Great food, cheap drinks, a friendly atmosphere, and several private sound-proof compartments for high-ranking members of the Britannian military."You're a good kid," the taxi driver told me as I thanked him for the ride and paid him, leaving a sizeable tip as well. Really, Japanese were so easy to impress these days. Who would've thought it would only take being civil.

There Villetta was, standing in front of the steps to the doorway, arms folded. I hope this won't take long, I have a public uprising to get to.

"Ah, there you are, it's about time you showed up," she said upon noticing I'd arrived.

"Sorry, you just caught me off guard, and don't you think you're a bit old for me?" I joked."Besides, I'm underage."

"Doesn't matter, they'll let you in." she grunted, already walking up the steps.

After Villetta flashed the bouncer (yeah, they have a bouncer) her badge, she and I were allowed in, despite my being underage. You'd be forgiven for thinking the inside of The Black Sakura was a fire hazard. In fact, it probably was. Hundreds of people were in the place, making proper movement a challenge. Villetta, immediately upon entering, grabbed an employee by the hand and asked her to find the manager for her, saying "a knight needs her rest."

Within moments, the manager was practically at Villetta's feet."A room, please, for my friend and I," she said to the Britannian man. The manager was short, maybe the tallest hair on his head came up to my chin, and he sported an unflattering 5 o'clock shadow on his double chin."Of course, Lady Nu, right this way," he said as he gestured for us to follow.

He brought us to a small room with a circular red couch lining the walls, and a table in the center of the room. Really, it was a large closet. After the sniveling manager had left, the two of us sat down.

"We can speak freely, these rooms are soundproof," Villetta said, putting one of the grapes that were on the table in her mouth.

"Very nice, very nice. So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" I asked, also taking a grape.

The dark-skinned woman cleared her throat."You know of the Purist Faction, do you not?"

"Of course, they're a bunch of good-for-nothings who only care for superficial things, such as race and lineage."

"... Right. Actually, you may be familiar with their leader."

"How so?"

"Does the name Jeremiah Gottwald have any significance to you?"

I paused. That name somehow did seem familiar.A nobleman in the Court maybe?"It sounds familiar, yeah. Why is that?"

A knock at the door stalled our we allowed the waitress into the room, she asked us if we'd like to order anything. While I ordered peppermint tea, Villetta ordered water. The Japanese waitress, the same one from before, then left with a short bow.

"As I was about to say, Jeremiah Gottwald was once a guard at the Aries Palace. He guarded your mother, Lelouch," Villeta explained.

My eyes involuntarily widened at the mention of the Palace and my mother."That's interesting and all, but why tell me this?" I asked, feigning composure.

"Gottwald had a certain respect for Marianne. I mean, sure, it's natural for anyone to respect someone as accomplished as your mother, but Gottwald was different. He's still loyal to her, you know. His loyalty has brought him here, to Japan, to either find or avenge you and your sister."

"That's wonderful and all, but why should I care?I already have you as a wonderful mole, and besides, he's just one person," I said, allowing my skeptical side to take the reins.

"Well, as I said before, he's the leader of the Purist Faction, which is comprised of hundreds, no, thousands of Britannian knights and soldiers, and the undying loyalty of a Margrave could never hurt," Villetta informed."Oh, and did I mention that he's orchestrating Kururugi's execution?"

That last bit especially made my ears perk up."I suppose it's worth looking in to. Thank you for the information, Lady Nu."

"Of course, so, shall we depart after getting our drinks?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a hurry."

As if on cue, the waitress returned with our refreshments. However, she seemed surprised when Villetta requested that the money she now owed be placed on her tab and promptly breezed out of the room, with me at her side.

 **ACT 3**

I observed the terrorists silently as they worked on Clovis' old limo. I was actually quite surprised to see them all, albeit I did not complain. It would seem aggressive persuasion works best with their sort.

Hmph. As expected of people who had been trampled by Britannia for over seven years, they had become perfect slaves even without my Geass. What is it that pushes them into my clutches? Is it hope? The shallow view of victory that they all share? Or is it fear?

They weren't any better than Britannia's own soldiers, they just had that illusion of fighting for freedom. Oh, but I cannot let them know that, where would all the fun be?

I idly noted Tamaki was slacking off. One would think that mutt would have learned his place after that little scar on his neck. Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised, after all, his kind tends to have more bark than bite. Putting him back in his place should be fun.

Villetta was not here, but for a very good reason. She's to be the pilot of one of the knightmares which are to escort Suzaku to his demise.

Kallen and Ohgi were hard workers, along with those other nameless rebels I did not bother remembering. They were nothing out of the ordinary, your classic meat shield. As such, I did not feel the need to even try to remember them.

Kallen was an interesting one. After all, why would a half-blood such as herself fight Britannia when she could have all the comforts of living in the settlement? I for one wouldn't have bothered in her place.

Ohgi, however, was even less interesting than Clovis had been. He actually reminds me of Clovis more than anything. What, with their shared imbecilic nature, lack of aptitude for leadership, and constant dwindling in the cold shadows of their superiors, they were practically the same person. The only thing that really separates the two is race and status, poetic isn't it?

Fine figurehead leaders, but ultimately not worth the risk.

I snorted. I wonder who was worse at chess. Seeing those two play would've been interesting. I made a mental note to ask Ohgi to play with me some other time.

I glanced at my watch and knocked on the car next to me. They all jumped at the sound. Kallen immediately pointed her gun at me. How cute.

After recognizing me, they relaxed and Kallen nodded in greeting, putting the gun back in the holster on her leg. Thankfully, she cannot hide it beneath her uniform. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I would've died the moment I insulted her.

"You're late, Zero," said a bitter Kallen.

"Forgive me, something came up. Is the limo ready?" I asked, not even bothering with the formalities. We had no time to waste.

"We're nearly there. It'll run, but don't expect to outrun any knightmares. There's a reason this thing's in the junkyard," Ohgi was quick to answer. At least one of them figured out that screwing with me would be a very bad idea.

Under the mask I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry about it being in prime condition, we just need it to look good and run… somewhat. How is the capsule? Will it work?"

I had asked the resistance group to locate and attach the capsule that I had found C.C. in. It'd serve as a useful pseudo-cell for Jeremiah.

"Alright, give us another five minutes, and we'll be done," grunted Kallen as she got up to stretch her back.

I had to hand it to the rebels, when given proper instruction, they could actually accomplish things in a timely manner. Granted, I doubt Britannia could be defeated with a single semi-operable limo. Well, there's something to be said if that's all it takes to rescue Suzaku.

Heh, nobles and their pride. They couldn't possibly bear the thought that perhaps one of their own, or another Britannian murdered their precious figurehead, so they decided to instead put the blame on any random Japanese they could find. Of course, this just had to be Suzaku. If it were anyone else, I probably wouldn't bother. Zero could make his debut at any time, and it'd be sufficient (though not nearly as effective as showing up the military on live television). As much as it pains me to say, I figure I should repay Kururugi and his household for the time they had sheltered me. I'd even call Suzaku a friend.

"Are all the other preparations complete?" I asked after they had seemingly finished painting.

Ohgi nodded. "Yeah, everything's ready to go, Zero."

"Aah, this plan is batshit crazy," I heard an irksome voice come from nearby. "You're going to get us all killed!"

Of course, it was the red-haired neanderthal, Tamaki.

I walked over to stand in front of him."No one should have any worries. So long as we stick to the plan, we should all come out relatively unscathed," I spoke to the group before leaned in close to his face. "Though _you_ may have had some trouble keeping up during the briefing, no?You can sit this one out if you want."

"Y-you… whatever, I don't feel like dying today anyways," Tamaki muttered before storming off.

"He just misses Naoto is all, don't be so harsh on him," Ohgi damage controlled, placing an unwelcome hand on my shoulder. "Don't take what he says personally, either."

I resisted the urge to shake his hand off me."It's fine, I expected there to be bumps in the road. In any case, we should be going, wouldn't want to miss our debut would we?" I laughed.

 **ACT 4**

Hah, I've got to hand it to Jeremiah. If only he had been this efficient as one of the many members of my mother's Royal Guard, then maybe those 'terrorists' wouldn't have had the chance to kill my mother and cripple poor Nunnally.

Suzaku's transport was flanked by three Sutherlands, piloted by Villetta, Kewell, and Jeremiah himself. They were decorated in such a lavish way that suggested they had been prepared long in advance for the show, with not a scratch or dent on the surface, and the Britannian crest shining proudly on the front.

Villetta and Kewell were on each side, with automatic rifles in the clutches of their fearsome machines, while Jeremiah was in front with the hatch of his knightmare open so he could give a speech on how useless the Honorary Britannian system is.

On the platform, Suzaku was held down by two Britannian foot soldiers dressed in full armor, each carrying a gun on his person and pointing it at Suzaku's head, despite the Japanese boy keeping it lowered in shame.

He had probably realized he wouldn't be getting out of this mess alive. I honestly can't blame him. Not to mention, the Kururugi name was now going to be the subject of everyone's ire, and knowing Suzaku, the last thing he would ever want was to stain the family name.

Honestly, the only reason the purists were making such a spectacle out of this was so painfully obvious it made me cringe. Of course, Clovis being Royalty was part of it, but it was mostly to preserve the Faction. They had to somehow twist the situation in that way an average Britannian would not even think of blaming them for allowing the incident to happen at all.

It was simply pathetic.

Deciding it was just about the right time for the show to begin, I gestured for the rebels to get close to the transport and readied myself.

Ironically, I was the calmest one of the bunch. Even Kallen was nervous, judging from her labored breathing or the way she was clutching the steering wheel. The other rebels, the female one especially, were much more vocal in showing their agitation. I could feel them shaking from here.

That just won't do if we were to continue this partnership. I didn't need soldiers who would flee at first sight of danger. I was tempted to just geass them into submission, but decided against it. After all, wouldn't that be just too easy? Where would all the fun be? It will be much more fun to see them turn into slaves by their their free will.

Well, speaking of slaves, it would seem Jeremiah had finally noticed our little charade. "You there! What are you doing with Prince Clovis' transport?" he demanded with a horrified expression on his face that suggested he wasn't happy with the turn of events.

I noted with amusement that his lapdogs almost immediately pointed their guns at me. How cowardly. I rose through the sunroof to stand on top of the limo. "I'm impressed, Lord Jeremiah. It would seem your mutts are trained rather well, pointing a gun at an unarmed individual such as myself who only wishes to speak to you." I remarked casually, in the manner of a man who did not fear death, for it was beneath him. I only did that to unsettle Jeremiah, after all, the more nervous he is, the more likely I am to succeed without wasting my Geass on him. After all, why not save it for a better occasion?

Oh, Jeremiah did not appreciate my daring. He gritted his teeth in either annoyance or anger, maybe even both. "They're merely doing their job, making sure terrorists like you don't hurt anyone. I'd suggest removing that ridiculous mask of yours before they fill your body with bulletholes and I remove it from your steaming carcass myself," threatened Jeremiah through gritted teeth, clearly losing his cool.

Hmph. Rather disappointing from a fellow such as he. "I'll rephrase that statement," I retorted, my voice dangerously low. "You'll either order them to put their guns away, or I'll press this little button here and ruin your reputation forever, referring to the capsule which we had attached to the limo."

Gottwald's eyes widened and he gulped visibly as he realized the meaning behind my words. Oh, he was a fun one to manipulate, I have to admit. I'm glad Villetta told me about him. "What could you possibly want with this man? This man murdered a Prince of Britannia!"

I clicked my tongue. "Are you sure about that? Do you have any proof other than the falsified reports?" I mocked, "I'll answer that question myself. You don't. Do you wish to know the reason?"

"Enlighten me." Sarcasm was radiating from Jeremiah in waves as he crossed his arms over his chest and glanced at me, as if amused by my question,

I snorted, no matter how ungentlemanly that may be, now properly amused myself. "It's simple, I'm surprised a man of your intelligence could not figure it out. There's no evidence linking Suzaku to the murder because he is not the real culprit, but merely a scapegoat for you to hide your own incompetence!" I bellowed, causing the crowd to collectively gasp.

"Oh, and how do you know that?" asked Jeremiah, now a little frightened by my knowledge.

I smirked beneath the mask. "Because I am the murderer! Do you want to know how I did it?" not even waiting for a response, I continued, "I'm sure you noticed all the stab and cut wounds, large and small over Clovis' body, no?Well, the first, the rather sizeable one in his neck, stemmed from his inability to shut his mouth while his betters are speaking. He learned quickly, though, as he could only croak and somewhat squeal as I ripped into his flesh with the knife. But I never touched the face. You know how Clovis valued that pretty, pampered face of his, so I decided to leave it untouched. The rest of him, however, is a different story. I know this may be difficult for you to understand, Gottwald, but the blood of a Britannian Prince is actually much like that of an 'Eleven'. Prince Clovis was actually quite the bleeder. He got blood all over my clothes. Not even his broach was spared from it."

Gottwald gasped as I withdrew the still-bloody broach from my pocket.

"Y-y-you bastard! Return that at once! That is the property of the Royal Family of Britannia, and I'll have your head for it!" he stammered.

"Now, now, let's be civil. Why not a trade?An innocent man for the broach," goaded I.

Gottwald paused for a moment."Fine," he huffed. "Wallace, retrieve that broach!"

"No, I want you to take it," I interrupted."Leaders should set an example."

Within seconds, the furious Faction leader was out of his knightmare and striding over to me with all the dignity of a Britannian Officer.

As expected, his pride dictates that he must comply. Nobles are ridiculously easy to manipulate.

"The heirloom, if you would," Gottwald demanded with an outstretched hand.

"How do I know that you'll keep your side of the bargain?" I replied, shoving the broach back into my pocket.

Gottwald amusingly growled as he barked the order to release Suzaku, who sprinted to my side."There, now hand me Clovis' broach!"

I withdrew the broach once again. "A deal's a deal."

As soon as Gottwald's hand touched mine, I pressed the button, and not even letting him realize what the button was for, I reeled him in and pushed him into the now open capsule, but not before injecting him with enough propofol to knock out a horse.

Suzaku gasped at the exchange, but I gave him no chance to run as one of the nameless terrorists dragged him into the car, as I quickly released the coloured smoke so the Sutherlands couldn't target us without risking the lives of the civilians.

As a last precautionary measure, I had stationed several people near the transport, where they fired from the crowd to confuse any soldiers. Thankfully, Villetta was able to prevent the terrified populace from being massacred by the frightened knightmare pilot. Unsurprisingly, the other pilot was a member of the Purist Faction, as signified by the markings on his Sutherland.

Within minutes, the limo cleared the execution grounds, and was well into the ghetto.

Well, it would seem our first operation was a success. I'm sure my father would've been delighted.


End file.
